Mamma mia! It takes a village!

Some 500 people in the city of Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, one of the areas worst hit by the March 11 quake and tsunami, earlier this month received a pasta, soup and wine treat provided by prominent Italian chefs from Tokyo.

The event, named Domenica Italiana (Italian Sunday), was part of the charity campaign "Italians in Japan for the rebirth of Tohoku region."

Twenty-five volunteer workers including staff from such Tokyo restaurants as Elio Locanda Italiana delivered food as well as relief items to disaster victims at an evacuation shelter in Rikuzentakata.

"People enjoyed the food and some even asked whether they could take the leftovers home," said Marco Staccioli, who started the charity project involving the Italian community in Japan. "In Italy, families get together on Sundays after attending Mass and eat food prepared by mothers. We named the event after such a tradition."

(Read the whole story, provided by Kyodo news, in today's Japan Times online)
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